NCJ Number
183434
Journal
Environment & Behavior Volume: 32 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2000 Pages: 347-360
Editor(s)
Robert B. Bechtel
Date Published
2000
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Traditional cultural theories of crime have often overlooked the effects of environmental factors and their impact on human behavior; as such, the present research observes the effects of culture on dictating society's vulnerability to particular types of crime, truck theft.
Abstract
In analyzing truck theft in various regions of the United States in relation to the proportion of trucks registered in these areas, the goal was to assess the ability of culture to determine criminality. Data covering the 1992-1996 period were collected from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Highway Administration. Truck theft was more likely to occur in the western and southern regions of the country, areas where trucks are recognized as ingrained artifacts of their respective cultures. Implications of the findings and suggestions on how to alter cultural influences to prevent crime are discussed. 35 references, 6 notes, and 2 tables